Report: Heat emerging as new favorite to land Gordon Hayward

Report: Heat emerging as new favorite to land Gordon Hayward

The dreams of a Celtics superteam died when late Friday night when Blake Griffin re-signed with the Clippers and Paul George was traded to the Thunder. But, it could still get worse for the Celtics’ summer plans depending on Gordon Hayward’s decision.

Currently in Miami for one of three visits slated for this long weekend, O’Connor is reporting that Pat Riley’s Heat have become the new favorites to land the 27-year-old Hayward because of three things: the Miami lifestyle, his potential fit with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, and a ‘featured scoring role’ with the club.

Miami’s lifestyle beats the harsh winters of Boston, especially in a league that plays through the winter, but the latter two points are interesting to hear if you’re the Celtics.

For one, you’ve thought for actual years now that the Celtics had an inside track on Hayward because of his relationship with Celtics coach Brad Stevens dating back to their days at Butler University. The idea that Hayward wants to become a featured scorer is also interesting, as upon first glance, you think that he currently is that guy for the Jazz, but if that’s the case, he’d like an uptick from the 15.8 shots he averaged last year. 5-foot-9 point guard Isaiah Thomas, who finished fifth in MVP voting this season, is currently the featured scorer for the C’s, averaging nearly 20 shots and 28.9 points per contest last season, and it’s probably hard to see for Hayward to see himself being that guy with the Celtics, as Thomas is unlikely to relinquish that role to a newcomer.

One thing that the Celtics and Heat have in common, however, is that they can both offer Hayward the exact same contract, a four-year deal worth just over $130 million.

But you can’t count the Celtics out until they have their meeting with Hayward, which is expected to come on Sunday in Boston, according to sources.

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